Social networks 'are new e-mail'

I'm resistant of this but curious to see where it leads. I know people who "don't like email" because "FaceBook/MySpace is easier" and they only ever send me messages through those applications. At some point it seems there must be some kind of convergence into a single, shared protocol that multiple applications can tap into ... a la email but perhaps a bit more personal. People bemoan privacy issues, but they continually plug away their darkest secrets into these walled gardens and their illusions of security. Oh crap, am I ranting? Sorry ...

a non-geek sees them as the same thing.

Fire up web-browser->enter web address->Log In->Click on new messages

Its the same as logging in to yahoo or aol for them...we see the difference becuase (i imagine) most of us have built mail servers. We know all about smtp and pop and imap. Most of us don't see facebook as email because we're thinking about the back-end of things.

Absolutely not!

Social networks might be the new instant messenger. Email is a service that interoperates between networks that almost everyone has. Social networks, like many instant messenger networks, are services that are closed to those who haven't signed up with a specific service and try to corner the market through exclusion.

Sort of. Twitter and Yammer are great for putting things out there quickly to get feedback or an answer to a question. Private conversations though will always be important.

That being said, I often appreciate a DM instead of an email because it forces people to be quick.